


Consensual Ghost Buddy

by StardustAce



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Asexual Ben Hargreeves, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Ben is a precious cinnamon roll, Consent, Gen, Klaus being Klaus, Pansexual Klaus Hargreeves, deep conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25708141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StardustAce/pseuds/StardustAce
Summary: When Klaus and Ben got back to Allison’s after the possession incident, they have a much-needed conversation about what happened with Jill.
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves
Comments: 15
Kudos: 139





	Consensual Ghost Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> These guys had some reeeeaaal issues with consent this season, like wth! Here's my take on what should have happened at some point. Hope you all like it! Stay safe and healthy!

“You had no right!” Klaus shouted over his shoulder.

“I regret nothing!” Ben yelled back at him.

“Oh yeah, I’m sure you don’t,” Klaus snapped sarcastically as he walked into the kitchen, “You almost had sex with that girl _even_ when I told you not to!”

“I wasn’t going to,” Ben said, irritated, leaning against the door frame.

“Yeah fucking right,” Klaus said, completely unconvinced. He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and started making himself a drink.

“I’m serious, Klaus,” Ben said, walking over and grabbing Klaus’ shoulder, turning him around. “I wasn’t going to."

Klaus looked into his eyes; disbelief and annoyance written across his face. “And why not? _She_ obviously wanted to!”

“And who said that I wanted to?” Ben said, his eyebrows furrowed.

After taking a sip of his drink, Klaus said, “Uh… you’re the one that’s just soooo into her. You tell me!”

“I do like her. I just didn’t want to have sex."

Klaus crossed his arms and stared at him, wiggling an eyebrow. “Mmhmm."

“I didn’t want to, Klaus,” Ben said, looking at him earnestly.

Klaus suddenly seemed to get the message. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “Did I misinterpret all of this?”, gesturing vaguely at Ben.

“No. I mean... no." Klaus gave him a look, raising an eyebrow. Ben continued, “I really do like Jill."

“And… you don’t … want to have sex with her…”

“Not really,” Ben admitted.

“Wait, then why did you say that you would when she asked?” Klaus asked, leaning on the countertop.

“I’m not _against_ it. I just… wouldn’t choose it myself,” Ben said quietly, looking down. “Klaus, even if I wanted to sleep with her, I wouldn’t have. I was possessing your body and I was never going to make you do anything like that."

“Then why did you make me go to the alley?!” Klaus blurted out, leaning in closer.

“Because I knew that you wouldn’t go if I didn’t!” Ben said defensively.

“Okay, okay, lemme get this straight,” Klaus said, holding up his drink. “My consent matters when you’re using my body for sex, but not for _anything_ else?” He gave Ben a stern look.

“Shit,” Ben muttered. He looked away, feeling caught off-guard. After a few moments, he said, “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t think of it like that."

Klaus crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed.

“I won’t do it again without your permission. I promise,” Ben said sincerely, looking him in the eyes.

Klaus nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. After the two of them stood in silence for a few moments, he said, “Waaaait wait wait wait wait, back the fuck up for a second. You’re… a sex-neutral asexual,” Klaus said as if he had had an epiphany.

Ben was dumbfounded. “You… know what that is?”

“Of course I know what it is! In case you haven’t noticed, I am a _proud and flaming_ pansexual man! Why wouldn’t I know what asexuality is?”

“I don’t know,” Ben said with a shy smile, “I guess I just… assumed."

“Yo, Casper, this is my _thing_!” Klaus said enthusiastically, flopping down on the ground next to Ben’s feet, putting his hands behind his head, making Ben laugh. Klaus looked up at him and said, “Hey, you know, you don’t have to have sex if you don’t want to either. You’re not obligated to do it just because your partner wants to."

Ben laid down next to him on the kitchen floor, resting his hands on his chest and sighing to himself. “It doesn’t really feel like it."

Klaus glanced over. “Why?”

“Everyone sort of expects it. Like today, Jill and I had been sitting in the dirt and talking to each other, and then all of a sudden, she was like ‘let’s do it!’ and… what we had been doing was already great! I… I was fine with doing it with her but… I would have much rather kept on smelling her hair and talking, as lame as that is."

“That’s not lame,” Klaus said. “Why didn’t you tell her the truth? Jill is _really_ nice. She would have been just fine with it."

“She mentioned that you guys had done some… weird shit together and…”

“Ben,” Klaus said genuinely, sympathy flashing across his eyes.

“I would have let her down if I had said no. And I don’t hate sex anyways."

“But you didn’t want it,” Klaus said slowly and earnestly.

Slowly, Ben shook his head.

“Your own consent matters just as much as hers,” Klaus said seriously. “If you’re not into it, then don’t."

“It’s not that simple,” Ben murmured.

“But why can’t it be? People make things too complicated,” Klaus said, taking another drink. “If you were all like ‘Oh, Klaus, I would never possess you and use your body for sex without your consent’, then why wouldn’t your consent matter too?

“Don’t say it like that!” Ben said, covering his face with his hands. “That makes it sound so weird."

“Yeah, no shit, Sherlock,” Klaus muttered, finishing off his drink. “Look, you get my point though, right?”

“Yeah,” Ben said dejectedly.

“Hey,” Klaus said, putting a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up over any of this. I’m sure that you will find a great ghost buddy one day who will looooove rolling around in the dirt and talking with you."

Ben chuckled lightly. “Thanks, Klaus”.

“Any time,” Klaus said, nudging him on the shoulder.


End file.
